This invention relates to holders for floral arrangements of the type which are commonly referred to as casket saddles, and which are particularly useful for positioning the floral arrangement on top of a casket. The holders may of course be used for holding floral arrangements for display under any other circumstances as well.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,825 (O'Connell) shows a commonly-used casket saddle similar to the one of the present invention. In O'Connell, "a holder for a foam block for supporting flower arrangements comprises a hollow tray-like base member forming a water-confining receptacle for supporting a foam block, the upper wall of such receptacle having one or more apertures for draining excess water from the foam block into the receptacle, and a plurality of elongated fastening members shaped to engage and laterally support the foam block and detachably engageable with the base member".
In O'Connell, the foam block is supported on ridges projecting above the upper surface of the receptacle, which results in water being allowed to drain from the foam block relatively quickly, and which allows the passage of air underneath the block, further tending to dry out the bottom of the block and encourage further drainage from the upper portion of the block. The result is that the block dries out too quickly, and optimum life of the floral arrangement is not achieved. O'Connell's solution to this problem is to add a reservoir above the foam block, which trickles water into the upper surface of the block. However, this adds a complication to the product, and interferes with the floral arrangement.
Another difficulty with O'Connell is that the foam block occupies most of the upper surface of the unit, so it is very difficult to add water, if desired, without spilling some of that water. For the same reason, it is also very difficult to pick up the unit, which makes moving the floral arrangement inconvenient and which increases the likelihood of spillage.
In O'Connell, the use of supporting ridges is said to be for the purpose of overcoming an alleged problem with the device in another earlier patent, namely U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,698 (Smithers). O'Connell says that in Smithers, "there is a tendency to super-saturate the foam block with water, with the result that the excess water accumulates in the open tray which is subject to sloshing about and spilling over its edges during handling of the holder, particularly during delivery by the florist".